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Black Valedictorian at Arkansas School has a White "Co-Valedictorian" appointed

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  • #1

    Black Valedictorian at Arkansas School has a White "Co-Valedictorian" appointed

    The catch...? The white CV's GPA isn't as high, and the student hasn't done as well academically as the official valedictorian.

    Yup, as if we needed any MORE evidence racism is alive and well.

    Article Here

    This was actually shared with me by KiaKat, and we got to talking. We both agree there seems to be some more to the story that we don't know, else how can an ENTIRE school be that racist and no one has noticed or commented/complained before now?

    The article baffles and sickens me, and I get the feeling the "logic" behind it is "Oh. you're black. And valedictorian? Yeeeaaah, we're gonna have a white student up there with you, to give the impression you're a figurehead or their project, to make this more acceptable for everyone."

    Maybe I'm a bit off base, but seriously....what...?

    That's about all my brain has been able to come up with after reading, then rereading the article, and then going through the comments. So, I turn it over to my fellow fratchlings.

    What say you??
    Tags: None
  • #2
    As a clarification, the article says the school is in Little Rock, but McGehee is actually in the southeast portion of the state, almost on the Mississippi River. Another article claimed that the school was 'predominantly white', but that 46% of the students were black, which doesn't quite make sense.

    Still mulling over the actual situation....

    ETA: Okay, I just can't read any more articles. I can't find any actual 'news' pieces. Also, everyone is saying this happened in either Little Rock or Pine Bluff....*gahhhh* seriously, look at Google Maps for 5 fucking seconds, would you? This is a small school in a small town in the very poor Delta region of Arkansas. 54% white is not 'predominantly' white. And...the comments...saying awful things about the entire state and its citizens because of this one incident, with the extra bonus of people throwing about the 'Little Rock 9' incident. I think there's probably more to the story, but I can't look anymore.
    Last edited by AdminAssistant; 07-26-2011, 01:59 PM.

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    • #3
      According to this http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_909163.html the court documents were filed in Pine Bluff, which may lead to some confusion.

      Things like this: " Wimberly says the school discourages black students from taking honors and advanced placement classes, "by telling them, among other things, that the work was too hard."" happen far too often, and not just in small towns.
      Do not lead, for I may not follow. Do not follow, for I may not lead. Just go over there somewhere.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by AdminAssistant View Post
        Another article claimed that the school was 'predominantly white', but that 46% of the students were black, which doesn't quite make sense.
        Look up the word; it's particularly apt.

        As for the rest of this, I'm glad that she and her mother are willing to bring this into the light and fight against the injustice being done to her.

        ^-.-^
        Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Andara Bledin View Post
          Look up the word; it's particularly apt.
          Not really. It makes seem like the school is mostly white with a couple black kids.

          I mean, it's still a racist act, but yea.
          Violence has resolved more conflicts than anything else. The contrary opinion that violence doesn't solve anything is merely wishful thinking at its worst. - Starship Troopers

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          • #6
            ...Predominantly means mostly. Similar to majority. It doesn't mean overwhelmingly, which is where I think some people are getting confused. So yes, referring to the school as predominantly white if the percentage of white students is over 50% is accurate. I went to what was considered a predominantly black school in 4th grade where 44% of the students were hispanic.
            Do not lead, for I may not follow. Do not follow, for I may not lead. Just go over there somewhere.

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            • #7
              Predominant is defined as: 1) having superior strength, power, or influence 2) being most frequent or common

              Having a simple majority (51%) would make the school "predominantly white." But the imbalance of power is far greater than the percentages would suggest, making the term particularly apt in this instance given the primary definition.

              ^-.-^
              Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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              • #8
                Ehh, like Greenday, when I hear 'predominantly white' I think of my school, which was all white students with a handful of Hispanics. The student's races in this case are pretty evenly split. The balance of power is another thing altogether.

                I do hope that the student is able to reclaim her title and that she's heading off to a good school (hopefully not UA-Pine Bluff *shudder*). That's a really troubled part of the state. It's all rice fields, factories, crippling poverty, and, as you can see, racial tension.

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                • #9
                  Here, apparently, is a scan of the actual court document filed by the student. It's quite enlightening.
                  "The future is always born in pain... If we are wise what is born of that pain matures into the promise of a better world." --G'Kar, "Babylon 5"

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                  • #10
                    Very enlightening indeed...

                    Wonder if it's possible to find the newspaper announcement that was sent out honoring the OTHER "valedictorian"...?

                    No time now, will have to try later on tonight.


                    And honestly, this made my brain stop, so I'm still trying to figure out how to word what's going on up in there...

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                    • #11
                      I have to wonder if the 'big mess' they were worried about was the fact that this is a young, probably unwed mother, rather than an African-American.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by AdminAssistant View Post
                        I have to wonder if the 'big mess' they were worried about was the fact that this is a young, probably unwed mother, rather than an African-American.
                        Still fucked up. She earned the honor outright. Give it to her.

                        What if it was a WHITE unwed mother?

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                        • #13
                          I didn't say that it wasn't fucked up. I said that it could be the reason, or at least a contributing factor.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by AdminAssistant View Post
                            I have to wonder if the 'big mess' they were worried about was the fact that this is a young, probably unwed mother, rather than an African-American.
                            That would make it a case of misogyny rather than racism (or perhaps both). Still horrible, as already stated.

                            Still, it looks like racism was the major factor (even if misogyny was part of it), based on the accusations in the court document that teachers and faculty discouraged non-white students from entering honors classes.
                            "The future is always born in pain... If we are wise what is born of that pain matures into the promise of a better world." --G'Kar, "Babylon 5"

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by AdminAssistant View Post
                              I have to wonder if the 'big mess' they were worried about was the fact that this is a young, probably unwed mother, rather than an African-American.
                              One article suggested that's what they were referencing. So hey, instead of racists they might just be assholes.

                              Either way, I'm glad they're getting sued. Shame on them for not properly honoring someone who worked her ass off to be valedictorian.

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